Savin' Me
by Halo.Ravenwing
Summary: You’ve hit rock bottom ;; Only place to go is up ;; Reffie ;; Savin' Me by Nickelback


**A/N: Well, I can honestly say I have **_**no**_** clue where this came from. I swear, I was just playing Rise of Nations while listening to "Savin' Me" and suddenly this appeared in my head! This is my first true Reffie, so we'll see how it turned out. If Vincent isn't in the equation, I love this pairing. x33**

**Contrary to popular belief, I do ****NOT**** own any of the characters. :( Sad, right?**

**Yuffie & Reno © Square-Enix (Squaresoft)**

**Savin' Me © Nickelback**

* * *

**Savin' Me;;**

"Reno… you've changed."

The red-headed Turk raised his eyes to meet hers. "Y-you're jokin', right?" His tone was disbelieving and incredulous. "You didn't just say that, did you?" Reno stared at the girl sitting just beyond the glass. There was no possible way that he could _not_ have changed, given his present circumstances.

Yuffie winced inwardly; she really hadn't meant it like that, it had just come out. "No, that came out wrong – I didn't mean-"

"You're right, though." He admitted, lowering his gaze. He had changed. Trapped within four prison walls, his spirits had been crushed. Time had faded; endless weeks of solitude had blurred together into a single miserable existence. Reno now spent most his time by the tiny window, his only view of the outside world.

He groaned and let his head fall into his cupped hands. "Oh Yuffie, I really messed up this time."

Having no answer for this, the ninja remained silent. There was no denying that the Turk had definitely screwed up. A drunken brawl in a bar had landed him behind bars for aggravated assault. The victim, an underage male, had ended up in the hospital with a severe concussion, though he would make a full recovery.

"Yuffie…" The shinobi was startled by the tone of defeat coming from the receiver. He raised clouded blue eyes to troubled gray ones. "There's no hope for me. It's just the kinda person I am. I've completely f - _screwed_ up my life." Mentally, he berated himself and rehashed all the thoughts that had plagued him for these long months. He was a ruined man; he would never be capable of cleaning up his act.

He paused in his verbal rant and then added, "I've probably screwed up my death, too. With the kind of life I've led, there's no hope I can just float away peacefully to the Lifestream." Here he flapped one hand in the air for added effect. "There'll be some sort of punishment for it. I've kinda faced it—there ain't no way I'm gettin' to heaven."

Shaking her head, Yuffie tried to think of something to say, but all her comforting words died on her lips. She could only come up with a small shred of hope. "Look, you'll be out in a month, and then… then we can move on." Receiving a scoff in response, she pouted. "You need help, Reno, but I'm gonna find a place to help you. You can turn your life around if you're motivated enough. When you've hit rock bottom, the only place you can go is up." An encouraging smile completed the little speech.

Protests swirled in his thoughts and doubts filled his heart. But he couldn't stand to wipe that smile off her face, so he simply nodded.

* * *

People buffeted and pushed him, so absorbed in their own thoughts that they scarcely noticed his passage. He made his way through the crowds, heading toward the edge of town, to the border of Midgar. Hanging his head, he stumbled on a chunk of loose concrete and fell to his hands and knees. Not a soul spared him a second glance; not a soul cared to ask if he had been hurt. Not that he would want them to, but it did confirm the thought within his heart.

_I simply do not matter enough._

He was not worth the extra seconds of effort on their parts—a simple question or glance. Throughout the past month, he had masqueraded with a smile upon his face, though inside, his heart ached. He had tried and tried to try, but there was simply no denying the fact that he could not change. The sins within his heart had taken too deep a root to be drawn out.

Yuffie would not say so. Her typical response would be to assure him that no person was ever beyond help. But not him. For him, there would truly be no redemption.

It pained him to think of her smiling face now and how soon it would be before it no longer smiled. There was simply no other way. His inner turmoil would not be relieved by any means. There was now only one option.

Raising weary and empty eyes, he saw the skeletal remains of the Shinra building. The end of all his journeys.

* * *

"Reno?"

The question echoed through the empty apartment and was met with no response. "Where the heck is he?" Yuffie began the arduous task of searching every room. Once she had checked even the closets, she was sure he was not at home. That was strange… he had not mentioned that he would be going out. Entering the kitchen, she saw it. A single sheet of paper lying on the counter, folded into a makeshift envelope. Her name was scrawled across in Reno's hand.

She felt her blood run cold. What would he have to say that he would need to leave a note? Fingers trembling, she unfolded the paper. It contained a few hastily written words:

_**Heaven's gates won't open up for me.  
**__**With these broken wings I'm fallin'.  
**__**On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'.  
**__**These city walls ain't got no love for me.  
**__**I'll leave this life behind me.  
**__**I'm fallin'.**_

The paper floated to the floor from the ninja's limp fingers as her eyes, wide with shock and grief, stared blankly into space. Why would he do this? Why hadn't he said something? Why had he led her to believe that all was well?! Tears welled in her eyes as she picked up the paper once more. He could have reached out for help. She had always told him that she was there to help him.

_Apparently you didn't help him enough._

No. She refused to think that. There had to be some sort of clue in the note. Her eyes flew over the words as she tried to decipher a hidden meaning from them, but there seemed to be no answer in his note. Choking back a sob, she leaned against the wall, staring out the window. "Reno… why? Why do this?" Her voice was tight with emotion; her eyes shone with unshed tears.

As the sun moved out from behind a cloud, it shone against a metallic surface far in the distance. She could not help but notice and she struggled to identify it. The Shinra building? Suddenly, Yuffie was sprinting from the apartment, her fear lending her speed. Never in any of her training had she run faster than she did in those few whirlwind minutes. She had failed him so many times before—had never been able to help him. Now she would.

* * *

High above Old Midgar, the wind whipped his hair across his face and into his eyes. It blew his jacket into a billowing black cloud behind him. On more than one occasion, it had very nearly taken him off the edge. Though he would not have minded, fate, as it seemed, kept him on the ledge. Slowly he inched forward until he could grab the railing and swing himself over. With his feet now scarcely on the floor and his hands grasping the iron bars to keep him from toppling, he stared down. A tumult of emotions rose within him—fear, defeat, sorrow, hatred. This… was to be his fate.

Far below, the ruins of Sector 7 were still visible. A pang of guilt shot through his heart; that had been his doing. All through his life he had always done exactly what he had wanted, regardless of how many people he hurt in the process. Laid out before him was the result—a destroyed city now completely uninhabitable.

"I hope you're satisfied." Reno hissed in contempt. "'Cause you brought this on yourself."

Unbidden, a picture of Yuffie materialized before him in his mind's eye. In his memories she always smiled, but now she was crying. Her gray eyes were limpid chasms of grief. For the first time, he hesitated. Was this to be his fate?

"Yuffie…" His whisper was blown from his lips the moment it was uttered. "Yuffie!" He screamed, his voice sounding faint in his own ears. "I'm… real sorry. There ain't another way."

His fingers released the railing and he fell forward.

* * *

She saw him let go. A cry broke from her as she frantically grabbed at his jacket. The material started slipping through her fingers as she struggled for a real hold. Getting a better grip, she clasped hold of his arm. "No!" She was sobbing as she struggled to pull him back in, but she was not strong enough. Until she had seen him on the ledge, she had doubted the note's authenticity. However, now there was no doubt. "Get back here!" Her voice was desperate and pleading as she clung to Reno, half dangling off the railing herself.

He looked up at her, meeting her gaze. His eyes were hollow; his gaze held no vibrancy. "Don't do this." She whispered, a tear trickling down her cheek.

Faced with the reality of what this was doing to her, Reno found himself doubting. Was this to be his fate… or no?

"_When you've hit rock bottom, the only place you can go is up."_

Her voice resonated in his mind. No, this was wrong. He couldn't do this to her. Determination flickered to life in his eyes and he clasped hold of her arm with his free hand. With her help, he was able to gain the ledge once more and collapse to the solid floor.

Yuffie flung herself at him and hugged him, sobbing hysterically while simultaneously trying to scold him. "Oh my _gosh_, Reno! When you – I never – why – my gosh, my gosh…" Her words sank into unintelligible babble.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, he pulled her close to him, tears rising in his own eyes. "Don't, Yuffie. Please don't cry." He stroked her hair gently and kissed the top of her head, sorrow rising in his heart. "I'm so sorry, Yuffie. I…" He trailed off, a tear running down his cheek.

Atop the Shinra building, the two huddled together—the one crying from relief, the other crying from regret. The ninja quieted her sobs and stared up at the Turk with large, watery eyes. "Why?" She choked out. "What did I do wrong?"

This question hurt Reno worse than anything else she might have said. "No no, you didn't do... it wasn't you… it was me. I didn't see how I could ever be different—that I could ever change." Shamefully, he turned his head away.

Yuffie reached forward and turned his head back to face him. "I told you, there's always hope. Sometimes it's just harder to find." She brushed a tear from his cheek and managed a small smile. "You have to learn to trust me more."

While not quite a smile, his expression was softer. "It seems you're the only one with any sort of logic in this relationship."

She started at his word choice. "R-relationship?"

"Oh—sorry, guess I was thinkin' of the not-so-distant future." An attempt at a sly smile was on his face. Before the shinobi could respond, he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers. He slowly inhaled, savoring the moment. After getting over the initial shock, she reached up and intertwined her hands behind his neck. This one, silent act said more than a thousand apologies could ever boast.

Breaking away, he looked down into her eyes, a real smile breaking the shadows on his face. "Show me what to do, Yuffie. My own values are so screwed up. Teach me wrong from right and I'll show you what I can be. Do you agree to?"

Mirroring his smile, Yuffie spoke only two words. "I do."

Never had he been so happy to hear her say so little.

**The End;;**

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**Awww, it's cute! Yes? …no? –blinkblink- Dang it.**

**Anyway, if you loved/hated/glomped/burned this songfic, and want to let me know, post up a review!**

**Constructive criticism, please! Let me know what about my writing could be improved, or what about story development I need to work on. Something like that, m'kay? :3**

**Thanks y'all. :)**


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